ABSTRACT
When the landmark patient Phineas Gage died in 1861, no autopsy was performed, but his skullwas later recovered. The brain lesion that caused the profound personality changes for which hiscase became famous has been presumed to have involved the left frontal region, but questionshave been raised about the involvement of other regions and about the exact placement of thelesion within the vast frontal territory. Measurements from Gage's skull and modern neuroimagingtechniques were used to reconstitute the accident and determine the probable location of thelesion. The damage involved both left and right prefrontal cortices in a pattern that, as confirmedby Gage's modern counterparts, causes a defect in rational decision making and the processingof emotion.
